Hello! Could someone please grade my essay out of 24?
I will appreciate any advice and help given c:
Prompt: Write an essay in which you explain how Martin Luther King Jr. builds an argument to persuade his audience that American involvement in the Vietnam War is unjust.
Essay:
In the speech “Beyond Vietnam - A Time to Break Silence”, Martin Luther King Jr.'s argument claims that American involvement in the Vietnam war is unjust. He effectively supports his argument through his use of personification, negative connotation, and parallelism.
Martin Luther illustrates the dangers of the Vietnam War with his use of personification throughout his compelling speech. In the third paragraph of his speech, In the fifth paragraph of his speech, he warns that: "If America's soul becomes totally poisoned, part of the autopsy must read: Vietnam." He utilizes this strategy to compare the America's potential death to the death of an actual person. The use of this personification further emphasizes how dangerous violence is for the future of America, which supports his central claim that America should not involve in the Vietnam war. By the use of effective personification, Martin Luther is able to help the reader visualize and interpret the situation of the Vietnam War , which encourages the audience to accept his argument.
To further support his argument, Martin Luther implements negative connotation throughout the speech. For example, in paragraph one, he gives Vietnam a negative portrayal by using words that have a strong negative connotation, such as "demonic" and "destructive." This strategy allows the audience to view Vietnam negatively, which allows Martin Luther to achieve his goal of arguing against the Vietnam war.
Finally, Martin Luther also applies parallelism to bolster his argument that the American involvement in the Vietnam war is unjust. In the third paragraph of his speech, he states, "For the sake of those boys, for the sake of this government, for the sake of the hundreds of thousands trembling under our violence, I cannot be silent." The use of parallelism describes the people who are affected by the violence caused by the Vietnam war, and emphasizes his passion in speaking for the people in America. This strong, passionate phrase of his speech appeals to pathos, allowing the audience to empathize with the people who suffered from the violent and destructive war. By utilizing this rhetorical device, Martin Luther is able to build an effective argument and encourage his audience to agree with him.
Overall, Martin Luther King Jr's speech effectively employs personification, negative connotation, and parallelism to demonstrate that violence will not solve issues. This leaves the audience with the strong conclusion that American involvement in the Vietnam war will only lead to devastating consequences.